Jaguar shows off high-tech upgrades to classic XE sports car at NY auto show

Walk into a Jaguar showroom these days and the first thing you’re likely to see is one of the three sport-utility vehicles that now dominate the brand’s sales.

Despite the popularity of the British brand’s E-, F- and I-Pace SUV models, Jaguar isn’t about to abandon its traditional market niche, as the launch of the new XE sport sedan at this year’s New York International Auto Show clearly demonstrates.

The updated 2020 XE is classic Jaguar. The only thing missing is the old “Leaper” hood ornament, the brand’s namesake cat now located on the middle of the sedan’s big grille.

This is a midcycle refresh, so the basic proportions of the Jaguar XE haven’t changed, but the update still gives it a fresh look, ironically, drawing some of the new details from the F-Pace, the largest of Jaguar’s new SUVs. The front end, in particular, looks lower, wider and more muscular with tweaks to the grille, bumper and headlights as well as new J-shaped running lights. The revisions also help to improve the 2020 model’s aerodynamics.

Around back, the 2020 Jaguar XE gets a new bumper and revised taillights, as well. All lighting, front and back, has now gone LED.